Unexpected Savior
by Marie Nomad
Summary: In this alternate Deep Down fic, Lindsey and Kate returned to LA after receiving a message to save Angel from doom. When they got there, they discovered many startling changes including a son of Darla and Angel.
1. Return to LA

This fic is an AR (Alternate Reality). It takes place at the beginning of the ATS Fourth Season. Copacabana is a song owned by Barry Manilow and One More Last Chance belongs to Danny Johnson. There are only a couple of lyrics of each. All characters belong to Joss Whedon. They don't belong to me.

Unexpected Savior

Part One

By Marie Nomad

His right hand twitched as he sat in the living room. After Brad died, he regained most of his movement but occasionally it would send a message. Not that Lindsey mind, Brad had been a very helpful hand.

With both hands, he was working on his latest spell. After he left LA to find himself, he started to dabble in the mystic arts to realize how powerful he could be with it. He doesn't use dark magic that often, just enough to protect himself and the helpless. It had been his new mission, a mission he enjoyed more than his stint at Wolfram and Hart. He dressed up more casually getting rid of his ties and suits. Now, his hair had grown a little more and he was dressed like a cowboy.

All of a sudden, his right hand shook and dropped the pen. Lindsey recognized the signal and yelled, "Kate! I'm getting a message!"

Kate Lockley ran in with a pad of paper and a map in her hands. She met Lindsey while she was traveling to find herself. After the tension that was expected between of a good ex-cop and a formerly evil lawyer, Kate and Lindsey became close. Not romantically close but more like friends/champions. Like Lindsey, she had changed in many ways. Her hair was now cropped short like a boy for maximum efficiency and she had developed muscles from her workouts. "Here." She sat down next to him and the hand grabbed the pen again and jotted down in the usual chicken scratch. 'Save him.'

"Save who?" Lindsey asked annoyed. Brad's messages tend to be short and cryptic. It takes some doing but they usually get the meaning.

Brad wrote down another sentence. 'Save Angel.'

The two looked at each other. "You don't think…" Kate paled at the idea of her savior being in trouble. She and Angel had a very interesting relationship. On one level, it was a typical cop/private eye relationship. On another level, they were friends. On another level, it was a love/hate relationship. She and Angel had a very complicated relationship.

"Well, we better go to LA and find out what's going on." Lindsey said as he got up.

**XXX**

The car trip was a mostly uneventful one. Neither one wanted to come back to LA, the place of their troubles. Lindsey wasn't sure how the law firm will react once they know that he was back and working for the good guys. The senior partners never paid much attention to him when he was on the road. He figured that as long as he doesn't write to any major newspapers or TV stations that there is a law firm out there spreading evil, he's fine.

"So, what do we do?" Kate asked as she stared out of the window. She hated LA. After she found out about the darker side of LA, she discovered how stupid the police was. No, the police wasn't stupid, just blind. She had to leave LA and find out what to do to make the world safer from the dark forces. She sighed as she looked down at her totem. Why did she go through with the ritual?

"We go to Angel's, see what happened to him." Lindsey replied as he passed through the street. "According to the website, Angel Investigation is still at the old Hyperion Hotel."

"I wonder what happened to him." Kate wondered, "You would think that he can take care of himself being a vampire and all."

"Anything. There are many demons and humans who want Angel dead. Including me."

Kate chuckled. "Don't tell me that you are still sore from that prank he pulled on you."

Lindsey frowned as he remembered that stupid 'Cops Suck' sign that Angel put on the back of his truck. He never thought that anyone over a hundred years old could act so juvenile. "I was this close to being tossed into jail! I was lucky that officer was a corrupt one that I had defended while I was with Wolfram and Hart." Lindsey muttered. "Anyway, here we are."

The car pulled up to an old hotel. It was strange and had an aura of evil in the air. The ex-lawyer and ex-cop got out of the car and stared at the place. "I never liked this place. Too much evil stuff happened here." Kate said as she and Lindsey walked up the stairs. "Like this lynching of a white man in the 1950s whose body disappeared."

"A pain drinking demon was responsible. My lawfirm met up with him on occasion." Lindsey explained. "He's gone now, if he wasn't, we would be hearing whispers of paranoia."

"That's so comforting." They entered the creepy hotel and a slim tall woman came up to them.

"Hi, welcome to Angel Investigations, we help the helpless. I'm Fred. How can I help you?" Fred asked.

"I'm Lindsey McDonald and this is Kate Lockley, Angel probably told you all about us." Lindsey said as he held out his hand.

Fred pondered and shook Lindsey's hand. "Sorry, never heard of you."

Lindsey's jaw dropped. "Come on, didn't Angel ever mentioned a lawyer who was his archnemesis."

"No."

Lindsey scowled and took a deep breath. Kate elbowed him and smiled at the brunette. "We heard that Angel is in trouble so we thought we can help you."

Fred sighed in relief. "Oh thank god, you have no idea how hard it is without Angel and Cordelia. We've been trying so hard to find them and keep this place going but no luck."

"Whoa. Cordelia's missing too!" Kate asked and then remembered Angel's other friend. "What about Wesley?"

Fred looked down and Kate could see tears threatening to form. "He… he left. It's just me, Charles, and Conner."

"Who?" Lindsey asked feeling very bad for being so clueless.

"She's talking about us." Gunn said as he and a tall lanky teenager walked into the room. He glared at Kate and Lindsey and asked, "What are you two doing here? Did you do something to Angel?"

"Who are they, Gunn?" The boy Kate guessed was Conner asked.

"Trouble." Gunn brandish his hubcap ax. "Kate, you're a good lady, why are you going around with lawyer scum like him!" He asked as he pointed his ax at the ex-lawyer.

"Former lawyer. I'm a country singer/champion now." Lindsey said, "We're helping the helpless like you are. We're not here to kill Angel; in fact, we heard that Angel is in trouble."

"From who, one of your Wolfram and Hart buddies?"

Lindsey chuckled. "I haven't spoken to anyone from there in years. I did my best to stay away from anyone from that place just so I don't… disappear if you get my meaning."

"He's right. We had been going around helping people." Kate supported. "And finding ourselves. Trust me, we are just as worried about Angel and Cordelia as you are. Brad has been twitching nonstop since he got the message."

"Brad?" Gunn repeated.

"My… source. He sends me and Kate messages about who needs help." Lindsey said as he looked at Kate. Something about Conner didn't feel right. He didn't fully trust the teenager. He was staring at him with intense blue eyes.

"Maybe, we can help in the investigation." Kate reached into her coat pocket and got out a notebook. "Tell me everything that happened."

"Forget it. We're doing fine by ourselves." Gunn said as he pulled Fred away.

Kate recognized the gesture of mistrust. It was something that was common among those who didn't have good relations with the police.

Lindsey looked down at Brad and said, "Funny, Fred said that you are having a very hard time. If you don't talk to us, fine, we can find out on our own but the longer we wait, the more Angel could suffer. The more we know, the better we can help. Angel may already be dead but there are worse fates than death."

Conner snickered and then shook his head. Kate narrowed her eyes at him. The teenager said, "How do we know it's not some trick?"

"Just trust us. For Angel's sake." Kate pleaded, "You need help."

"Just tell them." Fred ordered as she clutched Gunn's hand. "We've been going nowhere on our own. Maybe they can see what we didn't. They worked with the law right?"

"Yeah, but Lindsey helped people disappear." Gunn said as he glared at Lindsey. "But… but we're running out of funds and I guess it wouldn't hurt. But, if you hurt Angel or Cordy in any way, I'll personally chop off both of your hands."

Lindsey held Brad's wrist as it shook. "Oh no, I don't want that. So, from the beginning. What happened?"

**XXX**

"My hand is cramped up." Kate said as she looked at her three full notebooks. "I should've gotten a tape recorder." The two were sitting in an empty hotel room in the Hyperion after Gunn was done telling them about what happened since they left.

"She was pregnant, she had actually gotten pregnant." Lindsey repeated in shock. "How was that possible?" He couldn't believe it. He had loved Darla. It was one of the strangest attractions he ever held since that demon in the brothel but he still loved her. How could Conner be born?

"The same reason Angel managed to get in even though I didn't invite him. That guy always defies the odds."

"But vampires don't have babies. They're corpses animated by dark powers and blood. The fact that Conner exists doesn't make sense." Lindsey insisted. "I don't like that kid."

"He does seem to have a very tragic past." Kate flipped through her notebooks. "Kidnapped as a baby, raised in Hell by Angel's archfoe-" She paused when Lindsey stared at her, "okay, one of Angel's other archfoes, brought back here, and had to start from scratch on Earth. The kid has issues."

"I suppose." Lindsey held out a map of LA. "Okay, so Cordellia and Angel were about to meet the night they disappeared to profess their love for each other over here." He put a pin on the spot. "Angel's car was over there and Cordelia's was found over here heading to the rendezvous spot. Let's try to think of who has a motive to keep Angel captive. Which is about half of the demon population and Wolfram and Hart."

"Let's treat this like a regular case. Pretend we don't know Angel and Cordelia. Let's go to the scene of the crime. Point Dume."

**XXX**

The seagulls screeched as they soared over the sea. Kate and Lindsey looked over the cliff as Kate looked at her notes. "According to this, Fred and Gunn found Angel's cell phone under this cliff and his car just over there. The question is what happened."

"No signs of danger, no blood splatter, just a broken cell phone and a car." Lindsey crossed his arms. "Angel was kidnapped."

"But who? You'd think that if Angel met some demon he would put up a fight. Unless he can't fight him."

"Could be a necromancer, they can control the dead, including vampires. But then, Angel would be used against his friends or someone else and attract attention."

"Unless it's someone that Angel didn't want to hurt. A close friend or a family member." Kate said cynically. "90 of murders were committed by those close to him. Kidnappings by far more."

"True. Fred and Gunn didn't have a motive to get rid of Angel and Cordelia. Lorne went missing but he's not the type to make anyone disappear. That leaves Wesley and Connor." Lindsey wrote out the two names. "Wesley was a watcher and watchers are experts on vampires. He could capture Angel unharmed. I heard of the experiments the Council did."

"Yeah, but Angel nearly killed Wesley the last time they saw each other. If Wesley threatened him, Angel would've clobbered him." Kate figured as she held up a pair of stick figures, one of them with fangs beating the other glasses wearing stick figure with a rock.

"But he would have cleaned up the mess after he beat Angel. We need to see him as soon as possible. There's also Conner. I've got a bad feeling about him."

"Me too. We better be careful around him. I've dealt with nuts that had been through less than that kid and turned out to be more demonic than Angelus." Kate said as she thought of Connor acting strangely.

"But first, Wesley." Lindsey said, "We need to talk to him anyway."

Unseen by the two, Fred listened by the door. Her eyes widened as she thought of Conner. She knew Conner since he was a baby, there was no way he could do anything to hurt Angel.

**XXX**

The apartment was dingy. Kate and Lindsey had seen better, much better. "So, this is Wesley's apartment." Kate muttered. She closed her eyes, her ears became furry, and her nose flattened slightly. "There's three heartbeats in there. And I smell a lot of sex in there."

Lindsey cocked an eyebrow. "Wesley is having a threesome?"

Kate's ears and nose returned to normal. "No. The third heartbeat is too far away and not in the same rhythm as the others. I smelled fear in there."

"Maybe a prisoner. Can't be Angel, he has no heartbeat. Cordelia?"

"Who knows. I want to know who that other woman is." Kate said as she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Wesley asked.

"It's me, Kate. Remember me? Can I talk to you?"

"Just a moment." There was some shuffling and Wesley opened the door dressed in a bathrobe. Kate was stunned to see the once clean cut and proper Englishman looking more… down. He was sporting a five o'clock shadow and he wasn't wearing his glasses. "Wesley?"

"Kate?"

Lilah came up from behind him dressed in another bathrobe and Lindsey saw her. "Lilah?"

"Lindsey?"

Wesley saw Lindsey and said, "Lindsey?"

"Wesley?"

"What are you doing with her?" Kate asked Wesley.

"What are you doing with him?" Wesely demanded Kate.

"Have you been sleeping with him!" Lindsey exclaimed as he gestured at Wesley.

"What about you?" Lilah's lips quirked lightly upward.

"We're just friends." Lindsey replied.

Wesley took a deep breath and said, "Perhaps, we should get inside. I'll get some tea."

**XXX**

The four sat down on the couch with their tea cups in their hands. Lindsey looked at Lilah, she hasn't changed much since he left. She had always been an aggressive co-worker and there were rumors that she jumps into bed to get ahead. He never dreamt that Lilah and Wesley would become lovers.

"So, Lindsey, how is your hand? Is it still evil or do you finally have that thing under control?" Lilah asked in her most professional tone of voice.

"My hand is fine. You?"

"Fine, I've been so busy with my new position. The others have been doing great. They missed you."

"Like I missed them." Lindsey glanced at Wesley. "Wesley, Fred told me all about what happened."

"I see." Wesley took a bottle of scotch and poured it in his tea. "Are you here to ask for pointers about betrayal or to help Lilah get me into Wolfram and Hart?"

"Neither. I'm done with Wolfram and Hart and being evil. I'm here to find out what happened to Angel. My… source told me that he's in trouble."

"Where's Angel?" Kate asked the two lovers. "I know that Wolfram and Hart have been itching to get him for years and Wesley's no longer on his Christmas card list."

"I thought you hated Angel. You wanted him dead." Wesley glanced at her.

"Ancient history. The guy saved my life. He called me several times before I left LA just to make sure I'm doing fine." Kate explained as she shrugged. "You didn't answer my question. Where's Angel?"

"I don't know." Lilah replied smartly. "My people have been searching night and day for him and nothing."

Lindsey narrowed his eyes at her. "That's impossible. Wolfram and Hart have vast resources. We founded Gengis Kahn's corpse, Amelia Earhart, Atlantis, and Jimmy Hoffa."

"You know where Amelia Earthart and Jimmy Hoffa are?" Kate asked.

Lindsey looked away. "That's confidential. Anyway, Lilah, how hard is it to find one vampire with a soul. Can't you use that soul finder?"

"We tried but we kept on homing in on this new vampire with a soul. His very existence just put our Angel project timeline and our prophesy department back years."

"Damn."

"You monitored Angel?" Kate asked Lilah.

"We did until this new vampire screwed everything up just when Angel disappeared. We've been using our contacts but nothing. Trust me, if we found Angel, you would know."

"Or he would be trapped in some hell dimension while you get his soul out. Why should we believe anything you say?" Kate said.

"Because, we don't want Angelus. He is too out of control. The last time he was completely free, he tried to end the world not on our terms. We don't want that. We just wanted Angel broken and evil." Lilah replied.

There was a moment of silence in the air. "Good point." Lindsey agreed.

"I can most assure you that Wolfram and Hart has nothing to do with Angel's abduction." Wesley insisted. "I am conducting my own investigation and if there's anything, I will let Fred and the others know."

"Does it involve Conner?" Kate asked and Wesley just pressed his lips together.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do." Kate stared at Wesley.

Lindsey took a deep breath and said, "Kate, we better go and ask the local demons. See if they know anything. It's good to see you again, Lilah." He bowed his head. The two left.

They walked down to the stairwell and Kate shook her head. "I don't trust them. Wesley's changed and Lilah has something to do with this. I don't need my supernatural senses to tell me that."

"I know but Lilah was the honest type, mostly."

"I'll just take a quick peek inside." Kate started to take off her coat and shirt to reveal a pair of tight purple tights underneath.

"Hurry before you have to watch them have sex in there." Lindsey advised.

"I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself." Kate focused inward and her body began to shrink. Lindsey couldn't help but feel disgusted and yet intrigued every time she changes. The sounds of bones and flesh moving together filled the air as Kate transformed. Finally, standing there was a small rat. The rat scurried away to find a hole.

Kate never liked morphing into animals but they were the easiest to cope with. She can feel her rat instincts guiding her body. She sniffed around and followed Wesley's scent through the walls and into his apartment. She stopped when a bra fell on her.

'Oh come on.' Kate thought as she ran from under the bra and into the wall next to the closet.

She looked up to see a woman in rags chained up and gagged. 'That's not Cordelia.' She confirmed as she ran out.

After what felt like forever, she finally made it out of the apartment and back in the stairwell. She closed her eyes and returned to her human form. "Lindsey, Wesley is keeping a woman prisoner in there, gag, chains, a poop bucket, the whole enchilada."

"Is she a willing prisoner?"

"No, trust me, she wasn't willing at all. A redhead, hard to see from a rat's point of view, but she had been there for a while, maybe months."

"Do you think that this prisoner was responsible for Angel's disappearance?"

"Maybe but she smelled human and if Wesley could keep her prisoner, she can't be that strong."

The two pondered. "She had help. Someone strong enough to take on Angel." Lindsey said firmly.

"If she does know something, why didn't Wesley tell us or Fred and Gunn?" Kate asked, "They could have worked together with this lead."

"I don't know. Maybe this prisoner and Wesley worked together and he kept her prisoner to keep her quiet. But, he would have just killed her. This case is getting more confusing at every second." Lindsey sat down.

"I know. There's only one way to find out."

"Wesley."

To Be Continued…


	2. Karaoke with the Suspect

Unexpected Savior

Part Two

By Marie Nomad

Wesley sighed as he watched Lilah walked out of the apartment after their usual runs. He couldn't believe that Lindsey and Kate are back and looking for Angel. He couldn't trust either one, especially Lindsey. He was with Wolfram and Hart. 'Oh, but you trusted Lilah.' The skeptical voice in his head commented.

He was about to close the door when Kate's foot stopped it. "Yes?" Wesley asked Kate who was glaring at him. "Have you found anything yet?"

"Yeah." Kate pushed the door back and she and Lindsey stepped in. "I know what you did."

"What I did?" Wesley asked as he reached for his gun.

"I wouldn't do it if I were you." Kate's eyes became cat like. "I've picked up a few tricks while on my journey." She grabbed Wesley by the throat and held him against the wall. "You know, holding a woman prisoner in your apartment is a felony. You would be going to jail for a very long time."

Wesley twitched and a sword came out from his sleeve. "I won't." He slashed at Kate and she dropped him.

"So, how did you know?" He asked, "And how did you do that, I thought you're human."

"I thought so too." Kate crossed her arms. "I was wrong. That's not important. You know what happened to Angel so spill or-"

"Or what, you will tell Fred and Gunn? They trust you far less than me."

"True, but not the police." Lindsey said as he got out a cell phone. "Just a quick 911 call to the police about a woman being held captive. They will toss you into a cell before you could blink. Not even you could get rid of her before they come and what can you tell them? That she was holding a vampire prisoner and you are getting information about that?"

Wesley dropped the sword. "She has information on Angel's whereabouts. I'm keeping her until she tells me."

"Does Lilah know?" Lindsey asked as he put away his cell phone.

"If she has, she's not telling. Justine, my… guest, is healthy and I feed her every day when she behaves." Wesley explained. "You cannot tell Fred or anyone else."

"Because, if we do, Conner will know and he will be pissed." Kate answered.

Wesley's jaw dropped. "So, you know Conner's role in this?"

"Not hard to figure out. Angry teenage guy with issues about his father after spending a lifetime of Hell with his father's archfoe, he has to have issues." Kate shrugged, "But, why didn't you tell Fred or Gunn about Conner?"

"Because as long as they don't know about Conner imprisoning Angel, Conner won't feel threatened and try to kill all of us. He is quite unstable and super strong."

"Oh sure, and so you are going to let your best friends be in the same house with a super strong, unstable teenage boy with issues." Kate muttered, "That is smart of you."

"It is the only way."

"There's more than one way to get information from a pair of accomplices." Kate said as she looked at Lindsey who nodded.

**XXX**

Gunn, Fred, and Conner came home from another mission. The dark man's arms ached as he put down his ax. "Remind me to eat before fighting one of those Fah You demons."

"That's Fwah Hoya." Conner corrected.

"That too." He paused when he saw Kate and Lindsey standing there. He tensed up. He couldn't trust those two, not even Kate. Lindsey was an evil lawyer who had a thing for Conner's mom while Kate was an obsessed cop. They both hate Angel with a passion and would do anything to hurt him. However, if Angel was with them, he would want to give Lindsey and Kate a second chance. "So, any luck?"

"We've been asking around. Nada." Kate replied as she waltzed up to Conner. "What about you?"

"We fought this demon who was supposed to have this powerful eye that could find anyone with a soul. We killed him and he didn't have one."

Lindsey looked down. "That's strange. Every Fwah Hoya has an all seeing eye. It's like every human being born with the ability to see. Are you sure you found it?"

"Hell yeah, Conner cracked open the skull himself and nothing."

Lindsey just nodded. "Oh. Well… there were cases when a Fwah Hoya would've been attacked before and someone would get it out surgically without killing the demon." He didn't tell them that a Fwah Hoya demon's all seeing eye was in the butt and not the skull.

"Yeah. Exactly." Conner fully agreed, "We probably just hit a Fwah Hoya demon who had his all seeing eye removed."

"I need a bath." Gunn announced and then looked at Fred with a wicked look in his eyes. "What about you?"

"Not in front of him." Fred whispered as she looked at the other three. "After we get cleaned up, maybe we can compare notes on Angel's whereabouts."

"Maybe later. We're tired ourselves." Lindsey said as he stretched. "I'm beat."

"Okay." Gunn and Fred ran off and left the three alone.

Kate's watch beeped and she looked. "Damn, I have to do my meditations. I'll see you later, Lindsey."

"Bye." Lindsey waved with his right hand and watched the blond walked off. The ex-lawyer and the teenager looked at each other. They studied each other carefully. Finally, Lindsey reached underneath the table and got out his trusty guitar case. "I'm going off to do some karaoke, wanna join me?"

"Karaoke?" Conner repeated dumbfounded. "You mean singing in front of everyone while looking like an idiot? No way."

"It will be fun. I know this great karaoke place on Westside Avenue. They serve the best cherry pie in California."

"That doesn't sound like fun to me."

Lindsey shrugged. "Okay, what is your idea for fun?"

Conner paused as he thought. "Well… I love bashing evil demons heads in, collecting their bones, and turn them into nice artwork."

"Oh." Lindsey used his lawyer training to not show disgust. "That's creative. How about we just go and get some of that cherry pie then? We can talk about demon slaying. I have a lot of experience in the paranormal."

"You mean when you were a lawyer? I know that Kate can kick ass but… what can you do?"

"Come with me and see." Lindsey dared, "I had handled demons twice my size before you were even born."

Conner paused and then glared at him. "That was last year."

"I know."

The teenager studied him again. Lindsey was odd, he was human and normal. There was something that made him trust him. At least, he trusts him more than the others. "All right. I never had cherry pie anyway."

"Let's go, kid."

**XXX**

Conner stared at the dark atmosphere. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. There were cow hides all over the place, violins playing, huge obnoxious looking men with cute girls.

"Lindsey!" Jody gushed as she came in dressed in her cute cowgirl outfit. She was a thirty year old who looked twenty-five. Her long curly hair flowed over her shoulders. She ran up and hugged Lindsey. "It has been too long. We've missed ya singing."

"Well, a lot happened to me but I'm back." Lindsey pushed the stunned Conner forward. "Jody, this is Conner, he's a friend of mine. Conner, this is Jody. Jody, this poor boy has never done karaoke before or eaten cherry pie before."

"What! Oh, that is not right. Come on, we'll get you in front of the line behind Lindsey. Don't you worry, sonny. Mama will take good care of you guys." Jody pulled the two forward.

"Huh?" Conner was too stunned to resist the young woman.

**XXX**

"Over at the capo, copaca-ca bana. The hottest place in Ha-vana." Conner sang very off key. Lindsey watched sympathetically. The poor kid probably never heard real music in his life except on TV. Conner was doing his best and Lindsey saw some of the rougher people start booing him. The ex-lawyer waved his hand and chanted a quick spell.

The karaoke equipment went dead and Conner sighed in relief. At once, the crowd cheered and Lindsey helped Conner off of the stage.

"That… was the scariest thing in my life and yet… I enjoyed it." Conner said astounded as he sat down at the table.

"That's the way it is." Lindsey replied, "You just need to get familiar with the song and you'll do better. By the way, why did you choose that song?"

"It don't know. It just sounded right."

"Barry Manilow, of course." Lindsey chuckled. Conner looked at him and the ex-lawyer just waved his hand. "Never mind. Feel free to order anything you want, it's on me." He handed the teenager a menu.

Conner stared at the menu blankly. "Uhhh… I don't know."

"Let me." Lindsey held up his hand and Jody came up. "Jody, I would like those chicken wings, two orders with the sauces, two cherry pies, and a couple of root beers."

"Okay." Jody ran off as she went to the next table.

"You will love the cherry pie."

"So you told me." Conner said as he tapped on the table and looked around. "So, is everyone here human?"

"Pretty much. But, we can talk about anything here. No one listens."

Conner just stared at the table.

"Right. Well, I knew your parents well, especially your mother, Darla."

Slowly, Conner gazed at Lindsey. "You knew my mother? She's a monster!"

"I know. But, for a while, Darla was just as human as you and me. Wolfram and Hart brought her back to life completely as a human after she died in Sunnydale by a vampire slayer."

"Wait, you can turn a vampire into a human?"

"No, it revives vampires into being humans. It's a long and complicated ritual that took up a good part of Wolfram and Hart's sources." Lindsey explained, "Anyway, I… I was in love with your mother until she left me. Before that, she let herself be turned back into a vampire since she was dying from syphilis. Even after she became a soulless monster, I thought we could have something. I was wrong. After she slept with Angel, she ran off leaving me and my broken heart behind."

"You were in love with a soulless vampire? That's sick."

"That's love." Lindsey sighed. "I admit it was not something you want a stranger to talk about but I really did love your mother. From now on, I am sticking to people who I can have a healthy connection with."

"Humans?"

"Yes."

"Here's your order." Jody interrupted as she put down the trays of food.

"Thanks." Lindsey got out a credit card and gave it to her. Conner stared at his food and then took a bite of cherry pie. His eyes widened as he started to dig into the desert. "I take it you like it?"

The teenager nodded. "This… pie is the best I ever had."

"Thought so." Lindsey nodded. "Everyone loves the cherry pie."

**XXX**

"And so, there we were surrounded Bruchi demons and I said, 'What, no hats?' then I mowed them down with my sword." Conner recalled, "Dad was so proud of me."

"Bruchi demons? I thought they're allergic to the Earth atmosphere."

"I was talking about- never mind." Conner looked away.

"You were talking about Holtz. That's okay. He raised you since you were an infant. It's natural for you to think like that." Lindsey patted him on the shoulder.

Conner stared at Lindsey. Did Lindsey actually approve of Holtz? The others hated him and thought Holtz had abused him but he knew better. "Really?"

"Yeah. At least, Holtz is more human than Angel; he has a pulse and all. Angel chopped off my hand once."

"Angel did?" Conner asked and then looked at Lindsey's hands. "But, you have two hands."

"Wolfram and Hart gave me another man's hand." Lindsey explained as he removed his watch and showed the faint circular scar. "For several months before that, I had to use a plastic hand. I couldn't play my guitar. It was horrible. Angel just did it without a second thought. I hated him for it."

"Looks like you and Angel had some history." Conner giggled. He never met anyone who admitted to hating his demon of a father. Gunn and Fred seemed to worship Angel as well as past clients. It took all he could to keep the rage burning in his heart. To meet someone who's human and hates Angel was refreshing.

"Oh yeah. He and I are arch nemesis."

**XXX**

"Done a whole lot of living for a little of nothing. Hell I've sinned enough to be the Devil's first cousin." The two sang as Lindsey played the guitar and Conner held the microphone. Lindsey carefully sang the right notes with Conner trying to match him.

**XXX**

The two sighed as they sat at the empty table. The dishes were cleared away even though Conner was still looking at the menu. He was always looking to eat more. "Say, Lindsey, did Wolfram and Hart ever torture Angel?"

"There was that time when Darla got into his dreams and seduced him slowly over a period of months making him… crazy. There were plans for him to be broken, to lose hope. But, we never got to capture him because the Senior Partners didn't want him captured but coerced into joining us. Personally, I have a few torture ideas."

"Oh… let's just say that… hypothetically, we got Angel helpless right now, what would you do?"

Lindsey recognized the word. It was the word he often used to let loose information but off the record so his clients wouldn't get hurt. "Hypothetically, I was thinking crucifixion on a holy cross doused with holy water. Or I could have flogged him repeatedly but that wouldn't work. Or cut his hand off, you know, eye for an eye. Makes me wonder if vampires could regain limbs. Maybe, just keep him in a nice dark cave and have him as my personal pet."

"That… is so cool." Conner grinned. "But do you know what the ultimate punishment for him is? Keeping him in a coffin in the bottom of the ocean, no blood, no contact with living people, an eternity of hell and no one knows."

Lindsey's jaw dropped. "A coffin, that is brilliant. Vampires really don't sleep in coffins but they hate the stereotype. Of course, getting him in there would have been a challenge."

"Unless, he couldn't fight you or you take him by surprise with a tazer. He would be knocked out cold and I will tie him up and wait until he wakes up so he knows that I did it. Then, I would slowly wield him in as he cry out lies about how he loved me and yet seem so scared. After making sure the box is airtight, me and Justine would drive the boat off the coast where no one dives and push it off the boat and watch it sink. We left a little window for him." He paused and added, "Of course, that's all hypothetical."

"Hypothetical." Lindsey repeated as he raised his glass. Conner clinked his glass against his. "You have a very creative mind. I would kill to see Angel all helpless like that."

"Who knows. Maybe, someday, I can show you." Conner grinned wickedly.

To Be Continued…


	3. Unexpected Rescue

Many thanks to my two reviewers for their reviews. Here is the last part. Warning, dialogue in the last part came directly from the episode 'Deep Down' slightly modified to allow the other characters in.

Unexpected Savior

Part Three

By Marie Nomad

It was late at night as Conner and Lindsey walked through the doors. "Did you two have a nice date?" Kate asked as she looked at the two.

"Date?" Conner looked at Lindsey hesitantly.

"It's a Kate joke. She didn't mean anything." Lindsey explained, "And we had fun."

"Great." Kate nodded, "Fred and Gunn need to talk to you, Conner."

"Sure, no problem." Conner smiled at Lindsey. "I really had fun tonight. It's almost as fun as destroying a nest of vampires."

"Glad you enjoyed it." Lindsey smiled a little at the teenager and he ran up the stairs. After a moment, he asked Kate in a low voice, "Did they hear everything?" He unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a wire.

"Every single word and note." Kate replied, "They couldn't believe it was him. They were really torn up."

"Well, at least we know for sure that Conner did the crime, we just have to find Angel and get him out before the damage is permanent."

"How far gone do you think he is?" Kate asked.

"Three months without blood, I don't know. I've read reports of vampires who were starved for extended amount of time and become nothing but walking skeletons. At least, Angel would be delusional, at worst, zombiefied. We need to get him out as soon as humanly possible." Lindsey explained as he took the wire off.

"Hopefully, he will show you. He's a young teenager who is very lonely and very secretive. He had defeated a vicious monster so he would brag it to someone." Kate said.

"I got this far in one night. All I need to do is push him a little more and he'll bring me right to-" All of a sudden, Conner's scream came from upstairs. "him." He finished as he and Kate ran up the stairs and into Conner's room to see Fred with a tazer shocking the boy.

"You bastard! How could you!" Fred screamed as she shocked him again.

"Let it go!" Kate grabbed Fred by the arms and her eyes became gold as she forced the Texan to drop the tazer.

"We were just getting to him." Gunn explained as Lindsey stared at him. "Fred just went berserk and we wanted to make sure he won't hurt anyone else. When we get Angel back here, he can whoop his ass."

"If we can find him." Lindsey glared at the dark man. "Do you know how big and deep is Point Dume? We need to know a good location or we would have to search every inch of that place!"

Fred realized her mistake and cried, "He… he knew all this time! We were looking for Angel and this kid knew that he was right under our noses! Why? Why did he trick us?"

"He's a messed up kid." Kate explained, "Don't worry, it's hard to blame the ones you love. The only reason why Lindsey and I weren't fooled was that we're a pair of cynical people who had seen sick humans do very sick things that aren't demon related."

"So, what should we do? Play 'find the needle in the sea'?" Gunn asked, "Or have Kate use her powers? I saw your eyes turn gold for a sec."

"I learned a skill." Kate looked at Conner. "It's handy for this sort of thing. We have his partner in custody and she didn't know anything about him being here." She grabbed the boy by the temples. "And he will show up to save her."

**XXX**

Wesley was feeling very frustrated. Ever since Lindsey and Kate showed up, he had been confused. Those two had no real reason to find Angel except that maybe they had become good. Kate was good to begin with but he could see some sort of power in her. Was it possible that Kate had somehow become part demon like Cordelia or that she acquired some new superpower? Lindsey was just as confusing. He had obviously built up and let his hair grow out. What was he doing all this time?

Then, the phone rang. "Hello? No, I don't want a magazine subscription." He slammed the phone and then there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Wesley asked as he opened the door to see Conner standing there. "Conner?"

"Hello, Wes." The teenager knocked out the man and took the keys. He opened the door to see Justine sitting there. "Don't worry; I'm here to save you." Conner said as he unlocked the keys starting with the gag.

"Conner? How did you find me?" Justine asked relieved.

"That lawyer told me. They know what we did to Angel." Conner whispered as he gave Justine his long coat. "They're going to get him out and we'll have to deal with that demon again. He won't hold back against me."

"Damn it."

"We have to go and get the coffin out and put it somewhere else." Conner advised, "Hurry!"

Justine was disoriented from the freedom she now had. Conner had saved her from that lunatic. "Wesley's insane, he had kept me prisoner for months demanding to tell him but I didn't let up, not even when he was screwing with that Lilah girl."

"You were a strong one, we better go." They took the elevator to the parking lot and jumped into a beat up truck. "It's not much but it runs." Conner explained as he turned on the ignition and drove the truck towards Point Dume.

**XXX**

An hour passed and Conner and Justine made it to the parked boat. "Which way? They did some major magic on me to get the info out." Conner asked.

"That way, several miles. I remember." Justine said as Conner guided the boat.

"Good." He looked at the radar screen and after another hour, there was a metallic object. "There it is." He looked at his watch. "Just in time too."

"Let's get the coffin out and put on the beach before sunrise. That should turn him into dust." Justine said as she looked at the screen.

"Sounds good, no body, no evidence." Conner said as he turned around to face her. "Except, I won't allow it." In front of her eyes, Conner morphed from a young dark haired boy to an older blond woman.

"What the?" The blond ran up and knocked Justine down.

"The name is Kate Lockley." Kate spoke into her cell phone. "Okay, he's here."

Another boat came out of the darkness and came up beside the boat. Lindsey and Wesley hopped from the other boat. "Great job, Kate." Lindsey patted her arm. "Are you okay? You were a little close."

"I had five minutes left." Kate said as she sat down sweating.

Wesley handcuffed Justine to a rail. "You rest, Kate. We'll go and get Angel."

"You bastards." Justine tugged at her bonds. "When I get my hands on you…"

"You won't be doing anything you bitch." Kate said as she lifted her hand and it turned into a red claw. "I have a little demon in me."

**XXX**

Lindsey and Wesley swum down to the bottom of the ocean where a metal coffin lay. The two held up their flashlights and shone in the small window to see a pale corpse with his eyes closed. It was like some crude version of Snow White only with a vampire. His skin was pale white and he was thin and gaunt. They put chains on the sides and pulled the chain.

Then, the coffin was raised up with the two divers following it.

**XXX**

Lindsey took several deep breaths as he took off his scuba gear. "He doesn't look like a skeleton."

"He's as pale as Michael Jackson." Kate said as she handed Wesley a pair of cutters. Wesley had managed to get the slightly rusted lid off.

"Hopefully, that will be remedied with a little blood in his system." The ex-watcher said as he cut the cords that bound him. He put down the cutters and leaned forward. "Angel, can you hear me?"

He was answered by a pale hand shooting out of the coffin and latched onto Wesley's neck. "Angel!" Kate yelled as she and Lindsey came up.

"I'm all right." Wesley pried the hand off and forced it back down. "It's okay." He picked up a jar of cold pig's blood and started to force it down the vampire's throat.

"He'll kill you when he gets better. Do you think that he would actually forgive you for what you did?" Justine taunted.

"Shut up!" Kate knocked her out. "She deserved it." She said to her friends.

"It's nice to see you had not lost your subtle way of handling prisoners." Wesley said as he held Angel in his arms and made him drink. "There there. Lindsey, can you call the hotel, let Fred and Gunn know that we found Angel?"

"Of course." Lindsey ran out to the deck where it was still blissfully dark. He gazed out over the sea as he reached for his cell phone. He called the hotel and let Gunn know what happened. "Hello, Gunn. This is Lindsey, we found Angel. No, he's not fully awake yet but Wesley is feeding him blood right now. We'll get back as soon as we could. How's Conner? Okay. Good."

Lindsey hung up and took a deep breath. He had to face Angel. Ever since he left LA, he had wanted to talk to him and now, he wasn't sure. "Stay calm." He muttered to himself as he held his hand. After an hour of gazing at the stars, he got back into the cabin where Angel was drinking pig's blood by himself. His skin returned to normal but still had a strange glassy look in his eyes. "How is he?"

"Everything I touch turns to ashes, people die, I want to die." Angel ranted as he looked to the side. "Lorne, what have I done wrong?"

Kate looked at Lindsey. "Does that answer your question?"

"He should have drunk sufficient blood to become coherent." Wesley said as he looked at the empty jars.

"Maybe the trauma of being confined in that coffin for three months did that to him." Lindsey figured. "He was sent to the bottom of the ocean by his own son."

"Conner, Conner, what did Daddy do to you?" Angel whispered and then looked up at Wesley to see Conner. "I should have killed you when I had the chance."

Wesley paled and then shook it off. "No. He had been through worse. The blood is the factor. Of course. This blood is animal blood; it's not sustaining enough for him. He needs human blood." He reached into his pocket and got out his knife.

"Whoa." Kate ran up and grabbed his knife wielding hand. "You're not going to sacrifice yourself are you? Because, I've been down that path."

"I am not going to kill myself but thank you." Wesley said as he glanced at Justine.

"Whoa! You won't get me either!" Justine struggled to get back but still handcuff to the pipe.

"Nonsense. Your blood is too thin anyway." He unrolled his sleeve and sliced his arm. Angel smelled the blood and tilted his head towards Wesley. The Englishman sat down and put his wound over Angel's mouth. Eagerly, Angel grabbed his arm and sucked on the blood.

Wesley took several breaths as he felt his blood rushed out of his veins. He never dreamt that he would ever offer his own blood to a vampire but he had done things in the past few months that he never thought he would do. His head pounded as he lost more blood. Suddenly, the sucking stopped and his arm was released. "That did it." He figured when he collapsed onto the floor.

"Let me help you." Kate helped Wesley up and over to a chair. She took out the first aid kit and bandaged his arm.

Lindsey looked over at Angel who seemed more alert. "Angel?"

Angel looked back and said, "I love you. I need you." He closed his eyes and sleep again. "Cordy." He muttered under his non-existent breath.

"Oh boy."

**XXX**

"Well, that was a very interesting night." Kate said as the cars pulled up into the parking lot of the Hyperion. Wesley dropped off Justine, chained her to a lamppost with the key within her reach. Now, it was just him, Kate, and Angel with Lindsey driving the other car.

"I know." Wesley said as he stared at the hotel. "Don't tell them about what happened with the blood."

"Why not? You bleed for Angel, that's something not every person would do for a vampire."

"You or Lindsey would have done the same."

Kate looked at her hands. "That's not the point. You forced the blood into his mouth. If that's not friendship, I don't know what is."

"I just want to do what was right. They still won't forgive me for what happened. I'm no longer part of Angel Investigations. Let's go and get in." Wesley and Kate got Angel out of the truck and Lindsey joined them. Angel was just staring off into the distance and leaned over on Kate and Wesley.

"How is he doing?" Lindsey asked.

"I don't know. He seems to be doing better but his soul is a factor never tested in the Council. Just make sure he gets plenty of blood and rest."

"I'll make sure he'll rest." Kate promised.

"Good. I'll leave him in your care." Wesley turned around and walked away. He vanished in the shadows.

"Let's go inside." Lindsey said as he and Kate walked into the door.

"Look what we found while diving." Kate said as she helped Angel to the couch.

"Angel! Oh my god." Fred gushed as she and Gunn rushed to him.

"Is he gonna be all right?" Gunn asked Lindsey. He never had to deal with a sick vampire before. Before this, he didn't even know that vampires get sick.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Gunn looked at Angel who was staring off into space. "He's out of it."

"Oh god." Fred muttered as she put her hands on her face.

"It's okay." Gunn comforted as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Look at him." Fred said as she gestured at Angel.

"Everything is gonna be okay." Gunn said firmly.

"What do we do? Where's Wesley? I thought he was with you."

"He was but he left." Kate replied.

"Why didn't he tell us about Conner? He knew about what happened didn't he?" Gunn said as he glared at Lindsey. "That kid could've killed us in our sleep."

"You're human, maybe Wesley figured that Conner won't hurt you as long as you don't know anything."

"So, he just kept us in the dark and now he doesn't have the guts to face us?" Gunn slammed his hand in his fist. "Coward."

"He doesn't care any more."

Kate thought of the look in Wesley's face when Angel was drinking his blood. "He cares. Right now, we have a vampire to take care of. We need to get him some blood, some blankets, and maybe have Lindsey sing to him." At that, Angel let out a very loud groan.

All of a sudden, there was a crash. "Conner." Gunn muttered as the four ran out of the room.

"You left him alone!" Kate exclaimed.

"We had him tied up." Fred insisted and then the came into the room to see a tipped over chair. "Oh no."

Conner came up from behind and knocked them Gunn out. Then, he used Fred's own tazer against her. Kate jumped to the side and her arms morphed into a pair of huge wings. Conner tossed the lit tazer at her and she went down. Lindsey and Conner stared at each other. The older man looked down at his knife, put it away and stepped to the side. Conner was about to get out when Angel appeared in front of him.

"Sit down." He said forcefully.

"You're too weak to take me." Conner taunted as he studied his father carefully.

"You really think that?" Angel asked as he clenched his fists as he stood up straight. Conner paused and then sat down. "So, how was your Summer? Mine was fun. Saw some fish. Went mad with hunger. Hallucinated a bunch."

"You deserved worse." Conner growled as he thought Angel's punishment should have lasted much longer.

"Because I killed Holtz - except I didn't. I tried telling you that while you were busy offshore dumping me, but I didn't know the whole score. Holtz killed himself. Actually, he had your buddy Justine do it with an ice pick. Just to make you hate me." Angel explained carefully.

Conner was stunned. He struggled to find the words. "Even if… you still deserved it."

"What I deserve is open to debate. But understand there's a difference between wishing vengeance on someone and taking it. So now, the questions becomes: what do you deserve?" Angel asked sounding more like himself with every word. Conner became scared and ran to the door. Angel caught him and tossed him back to the chair. "Daddy's not done talking yet. Wesley told me everything that's been going on. So, as far as I'm concerned what you deserve rests on one answer: Did you do something to Cordelia?"

Conner looked him in the eyes and replied, "No."

"He's lying." Fred figured.

"No, I'm not."

"Why would he hurt Cordelia?" Lindsey defended.

"Because she's half demon. For all we know, Conner could have gotten a two for one sale on iron coffins." Gunn said as he glared at the lawyer.

"I'm telling the truth, okay?"

"I know. I can tell. You've done enough lying for me to know the difference. The truth has a better sound to it, less nasal, you know? Get up. What you did to me was unbelievable, Connor. But then I got stuck in a hell dimension by my girlfriend one time for a hundred years, so a few months under the ocean actually gave me perspective. Kind of a M. C. Esher perspective. But I did get time to think. About us, about the world. Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel. But that's why there's us. Champions. It doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be. You're not a part of that yet. I hope you will be. I love you, Connor. Now get out of my house." Angel ordered as he pointed to the door. He loved his son. He still did despite all that he was put through. Still, he couldn't stand to see his son, not yet.

Conner got up and walked away without looking at anyone. After a moment of silence, Angel slumped over and leaned against the wall and his face paled. "Angel!" Fred exclaimed as she and the others surrounded him. Gunn helped Angel up. 

"All that talking really takes it out of you."

"No kidding. Nice speech." Kate complimented, "Better than that 'Epiphany speech'."

"I had time on my hands." Angel said as Gunn helped him to a chair. 

"You need rest." Fred said as she knelt down.

"I need Cordy." Angel insisted as he tried to get up. That long talk and the illusion of being a full strength took all the energy he got from Wesley's blood away. Now, he was weak. "Now. Wherever she is, whatever she's going through, we have to find her."

"We will but after you get better." Kate replied as she pushed Angel back down. "You're in no condition to rescue anyone."

"I'm fine. Really." Angel saw Lindsey and then looked away.

Kate saw this and pounced on it. "What is it?"

"Nothing."

Kate smirked. "I knew it. You think that Lindsey is a hallucination."

"I do not!" Angel denied and then looked his former arch foe again. "I know that he's real."

"Yeah right. You were looking nervously at me because you didn't know if I was real or not." Lindsey agreed as he walked up and flicked his finger on Angel's forehead. "You can relax. If Cordelia was in trouble, Brad would've told me."

"Brad?" Angel asked. "Who's Brad?"

"Brad, my right hand." Lindsey held up his hand. "He contacts me from the other side telling me when someone is in danger. That's how I know about you."

"Hold up!" Gunn looked between the two. "Are you telling me that your link to the Powers that Be is your hand! That's the stupidest thing I ever heard of."

Brad took control and flipped Gunn the finger. "Brad's mad that you insulted him." Lindsey translated, "Besides, it's normal compared to dimension hopping offspring of two dead people."

Gunn looked to the side. "Okay, you got me there."

Fred came up and shook Lindsey's hand. "Well, thank you, Brad, for helping us with Angel."

"Yeah, thanks, all of you." Angel put his hand to his forehead wondering if he was still hallucinating. "But, I'll be fine." He got up and then toppled into Kate's arms.

"Sure, for a corpse. Think about this, if Cordelia was kidnapped by some powerful demon who managed to make it look like that she left willingly, would she want you to go out weak as a kitten and getting yourself dusted?" Kate emphasized her point by tightening her grip.

"The cop's right, Angel." Gunn said, "You could barely stand besides, daylight's coming. You can't go out there in the sun."

Angel pondered and then sighed. "Okay, fine, you win. We'll wait until sunset then we can go."

**XXX**

Angel lay in his bed looking through the newspapers Fred had kept while he was gone. She made it a point to keep every one just so he could catch up on his news. Next to him on the stand were a walkie talkie and a empty bloody glass. He couldn't help but feel annoyed that they are treating him like he was made out of glass. He wasn't a helpless child after all.

Then, he heard someone come in. "Lindsey."

"Angel."

The two stared at each other. "You know, I'm still confused on why you're here." Angel admitted.

"Neither did I and saving you of all people." Lindsey sat down in a chair. "In case you are wondering, I'm still pissed at you for that stupid stunt you pulled."

"What stunt?"

"The 'Cops Suck' stunt." Lindsey explained, "That was so immature of you, especially since you're older than this country!"

"Sorry." Angel said sheepishly, "I just thought it would be funny and you being a lawyer could talk yourself out of any legal trouble. You're not planning against any revenge right?"

"I'm not that immature." Lindsey said as he tossed a hot towel at Angel. The vampire caught it and put it on his forehead. "I had grown considerably. I learned some magic, made a few friends, and I don't hold grudges."

"Say, what happened to Kate. She smelled different."

"I learned a few things too." Kate replied as she entered the room. "Let's just say that I learned a bunch of things about my past that helped me find my inner potential."

"And you two are… together?" Angel said as he pointed to the two.

"Not like that." Lindsey shook his head. "We're friends. We never had sex."

"Except for that time in Santa Cruiz."

"That was mystically induced. It doesn't count." Lindsey fidgeted slightly.

"Well…" Angel felt lost. He wasn't feeling one hundred percent yet and Fred and Gunn desperately need help. "I was wondering if you two have a place to stay or are you going to leave LA."

"Not right now. Too many bad demons are running around and the police can't do anything about it." Kate said.

"Then, you two can… stay here for a while." Angel offered, "We have plenty of room and… and… well… we have some openings."

"Well, we need a place to stay but do you trust me even despite all that you been through?" Lindsey asked as he wondered if Angel was still missing a few screws.

"Oh no. I still don't trust you but I know that I can't fully trust you. So, I feel comfortable around you."

"What about me?" Kate asked, "Do you trust me or not trust me enough to feel safe around."

"I trust you as much as I trust anyone else."

"Which is next to none."

"That doesn't matter. I was…" Angel felt dizzy again. All that talking with the unnecessary breathing was wearing him out again. "Yes or no?"

"We'll stay but we're not working for you. We will work as independent contractors who get paid on a job to job basis." Lindsey reached into his pocket and unfolded a contract. "Here's our contract."

Angel stared at the contract. He could barely think and this contract was filled with legalese that he couldn't understand even when he was at full strength. "Once a lawyer always a lawyer. I can't understand a word of this."

"Just a basic work contract. We work for you. You pay us every time we help you. If there's anything that we don't want to do, we won't do it. Simple as that." Kate said, "We have all of our clients sign this. Makes it easier for us to get their money. We all sign this."

"Fine." Angel got a pen and signed. He wasn't in the mood to deal with translating this contract.

**XXX**

He was cold and hungry. Conner couldn't believe that Lindsey had betrayed him or that Angel actually let him live. True, Angel did toss him out but he didn't toss him out physically. He spent the past few hours sitting, trying to think of where to go and what to do. He had some money in his pocket but that was it.

"Hey, Conner."

Conner looked up to see Lindsey standing there. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing." Lindsey said as he put his hands in his pockets.

"You know that I could kill you. Why did you come alone?"

"Because… you won't kill another human being." Lindsey replied as he sat down beside him.

Conner gritted his teeth. "You lied to me."

"I did not. I really loved your mother, I wanted to change my life, and I really hated Angel."

"Then why did you go and save him!" Conner yelled, "He is a monster! He killed thousands of people and he abandoned me!"

"Monsters don't say 'I love you' to the ones who had tried to kill them." Lindsey sighed, "I know what it was like to have a father you hate. My father did things to me. I had five siblings, two of them died by the flu. We were homeless after our father abandoned us so we had to survive on our own. I stole, cheat, and even begged just to live day to day. I learned to sing so I could get more money. That was why I could sing so well. I scrounged up a law degree and was founded by Wolfram and Hart. Wolfram and Hart had influence and after a couple of years, I used that influence to gain my revenge on my father. He 'disappeared' mysteriously." Lindsey laughed, "Now I regret it."

"Why? He deserved punishment."

Lindsey sighed as he looked up at the sky. "After I had my revenge, I felt great for a little bit… but after that, nothing. I was worried about being caught. I was worried that if I work for an organization that could make people disappear, what could they do to me? You must never take revenge too far. Besides, Angel didn't even kill Holtz. Justine did. Will you kill her?"

"No! Yes! I… I don't know. I never planned this far." Conner ran his hands through his hair.

"Your life was about revenge against Angel. You must live beyond that revenge. You were pretty happy back there at the karaoke bar."

"I'm a lousy singer."

"Singing is meant to express, you must sing good if you wanted to be paid." Lindsey said as he pulled out an envelope and handed it to the teenager.

"What's this?"

"A bus ticket, some cash, and an address of a friend of mine. You need to go somewhere to be Conner. To live a life away from this obsession. This friend of mine has fought vampires for a very long time and he's familiar with teenagers. He's even a principal of a high school now. He'll help you find your way but only if you want to."

"How do I know that this guy won't turn on me?"

"Faith. Just give yourself a chance, Conner. Who knows, maybe you can find some happiness."

Conner stared at the envelope. "How do I know that you're not going to use me as a tool for revenge against Angel?"

"Because, I like you. I'm through using other people to get revenge. If I ever to do revenge again, I will do it with my own two hands." He paused and added as he raised his left hand. "Well, own left hand. It's your future, Conner. Your choice." He got up and walked away.

**XXX**

Lindsey closed the door behind him and saw a shadowy figure sitting in a couch. "Been waiting for me?" The ex-lawyer asked as he turned on the light to see Angel.

"Just thinking, I couldn't sleep lying down. How's Conner?"

"He's fine. He's leaving town for a while, one of my friends is going to take care of him. He's a good guy, hunts vampires and deals with confused teenagers."

"I see. Kate told me that you and Conner bonded." He closed his eyes and rubbed them. "Why does he bond with the ones I hate the most?"

"He trusts humans more than demons. That's a simple reason."

"He hates me. He'll never love me."

"Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Just give the kid time. With my friend, he'll be fine."

"This friend of yours isn't from Wolfram and Hart?" Angel asked suspiciously.

"I knew him when I was working for them but no. He's a decent guy. He works with troubled kids as a normal job. He won't guide Conner wrong."

Angel frowned as he thought. He didn't want to get Conner out of his sight but the boy would just try to make him 'disappear' or worse. "He better be safe. If it weren't for Kate and the fact that you did help save me, I would be trying to beat the information from you about now. Now, I'm not in the mood for our feud."

"I agree. We're both mature adults who shouldn't fight like this. I'm going to bed. Sleep tight." Lindsey said as he walked away. Angel sighed as he watched Lindsey leave. The ex-lawyer seemed to have changed. All he did was help his friends and family. So far, no signs of revenge showed up and that was a very good sign. Still, he had to be careful.

Unseen by him, which would be impossible since he couldn't see his reflection, his forehead glowed slightly with the words 'I'm gay' written clearly on it.

The End

Conner sat in the bus staring out of the window. This was the first time he had ever been on a bus like this going out of town. Then, he saw the town's welcome sign. It read 'Welcome to Sunnydale'.

Or is it?

Well, that's the end for now. There is a sequel of sorts in the works. I don't know how long this ride will last but enjoy it. Reviews are helpful. Really helpful.


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